In a department as diverse as NRES, and with a strong emphasis on the management of landscapes, working partnerships with key organizations and individuals keep us connected to the audiences we serve. Because we share the challenges of managing today's complex landscape systems and the communities and individuals that interact with them, we work in conjunction with our partners to discover and apply the best research to reach effective solutions to biological and social problems.
Our partners in the world of commercial enterprises, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations are instrumental in offering internships and research experiences for our students, hiring our graduates, identifying trends that suggest curricular changes to keep our academic programs current, and providing financial support for student scholarships. We also have an external advisory committee whose members share their time and expertise to provide valuable input to the department on a wide variety of issues.
The Illinois State Surveys, which have joined the University as the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability, are key partners, and many of their professional staff members also have adjunct faculty status in NRES. The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant Program provides funding for faculty research projects, partners with NRES to provide an environmental education field course, and supports one professional staff member who is located in Chicago with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency working on water quality issues.